Italy Sightseeing Trips

Truffle hunting Sitting in our down time on the Goudi Avenue in Barcelona Fragonard Purfumeur in Grasse My suggestions for improvement: I would like to have had less included meals. Some were delicious but some were just okay. My husband and would have preferred to select what we wanted to eat more times during the tour. We wanted more down time and a slower pace. In looking back, much of my favorite moments were when we stopped touring for even just a few minutes to enjoy a cup of delicious hot chocolate or green tea, in a quiet place, but even that was rushed and no time to linger or even finish our delicious drink. We had to leave to stay on schedule. That exact thing occurred twice on the tour and we were disappointment both times.

Our tour of the Mediterranean Coastal Journey, far exceeded our expectations. The tour manager was absolutely amazing! Having been thrown some curveballs, especially when the rain and windy weather caused Cinque Terre to be closed! Barbara pulled together a tour of the Imperiale Palace for the next day, with a demo on making Pesto sauce, then each of us made pesto as well. I was so looking forward to Cinque Terre, but in the long run we had a great experience in Genoa. Also, the hotel there was lovely being located on the marina, and all the shops and restaurants were just across the street. I was not looking forward to our stay in Genoa but came away pleasantly surprised. Our group of 22 turned out to be incredibly friendly right from the beginning. All the restaurants were very good, she even surprised us with a 1* Michelin dinner experience in substitution for that evening dining experience having been cancelled, so we got to eat at the number 1 restaurant in Marseilles! I have to say that Barbara was responsible for getting the group off to a great start being together, with her great sense of humor, friendliness, being firm about the start time to be on the bus :-) She went above and beyond making the last night of our tour so very special for my daughter, being it was her actual birthday. It was all just perfect! Thank you, Barbara, what tour will you be leading next season? I would consider going on it knowing how you can handle even those last-minute curveballs!

This Sicily tour with CharlieTheTraveler was amazing!! Loved the itinerary, the guides were amazing, and the whole process was efficient and smooth. I definitely appreciated not having to plan anything before leaving, because Charlie takes care of it all. I recommend this tour to anyone who wants to experience a memorable trip!!

My wife and I had always wanted to visit Italy, it was our dream and at the top of our list. We hadn’t had a proper vacation since pre-covid and were itching to go. But every time I thought about planning the trip I was overwhelmed. Not only does everyone have an opinion about where to go, where to stay and how to do it, but the number of potential places to visit in such a vast and beautiful country, with so much great history, food and wine is incredibly large. Before I let another year fly by without making the trip, I decided to reach out to CharlieTheTraveler and it turned out to be the best decision I could have made. Charlie and his team started by asking what KIND of trip I wanted and built an itinerary based on the feedback I gave. He also arranged a driver to take us everywhere we wanted to go, booked our flights and hotels, bough vouchers and tickets ahead of time so we could skip the lines at the sights…. everything was taken care of for us. We spent 23 days discovering the joys of Sicily and the mainland as far North as Rome (and a one-day side trip to Florence). It was incredible and everything we could have hoped for. Our driver went above and beyond and added so much fun, humor and color to our trip it was amazing. We did things like taking a cooking class in an Italian home, flying around Mt. Etna in a helicopter, numerous boat tours, The Vatican Museums, a cave tour, a winery tour, the Colosseum, and much, much more. Turning my trip over to the experts at CharlieTheTraveler was the best decision and I’ll be going back to him for help with our continued adventures and exploration of the rest of the world. I can’t say enough about the fun we had and the oy it brought us. My wife actually told me that she wasn’t ready to go home at the end of our 23 days (nor was I) and started telling me within a day or two of returning to the US how she wants to go back!

We had a really good group, our guide and driver were exceptional. Accommodations were outstanding, and ample time for wandering on our own. Collette is the only way we travel.

The Via Degli Dei is a fantastic walk - 2 great Italian cities and stunning landscapes every day which made the tough climbs worthwhile. They dealt with everything once we arrived, the accommodation was good and varied which added to the appeal of the trip. It's helpful to have some basic Italian as a couple of places did not speak English but everyone was so friendly. Will use them again - we are already planning next year's trip!